Apostolic Nunciature in the Palatial Palacio Fernández Anchorena
Why is it significant?
Dominating the corner of Avenida Alvear and Calle Montevideo at number 1605 rises the breathtaking Palacio Fernández Anchorena, one of the most sublime examples of French Beaux-Arts residential architecture in South America.
Key Facts
| Place | Apostolic Nunciature in the Palatial Palacio Fernández Anchorena |
|---|---|
| Address | Avenida Alvear 1605, C1014 CABA, Argentina |
| Geo Coordinates | -34.59020, -58.38520 |
| Part of Walk | Recoleta Cemetery, Belle Époque Palaces, and Cultural Grandeur: The Paris of South America |
| Generated | Generated |
Dominating the corner of Avenida Alvear and Calle Montevideo at number 1605 rises the breathtaking Palacio Fernández Anchorena, one of the most sublime examples of French Beaux-Arts residential architecture in South America. Commissioned in 1907 by Juan Antonio Fernández and his wife Rosa de Anchorena—members of Argentina's most illustrious landowning dynasty—the palace was designed by brilliant French architect Édouard Le Monnier and completed in 1909. Le Monnier combined Louis the Sixteenth neoclassical sobriety with exuberant French Baroque flourishes, crowning the corner with a soaring slate Mansard roof and a copper-trimmed cupola.
Look above the second-floor windows: the Anchorena and Fernández family monograms and carved stone coats of arms are framed by sculptured garlands of acanthus leaves.
In a tragic turn of aristocratic fate, the Fernández Anchorena family never actually inhabited their dream palace; following personal misfortunes and lengthy travels in Europe, they leased the property to official foreign dignitaries. In 1922, the residence served as the official presidential residence for Argentine President Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear and his opera singer wife Regina Pacini. In 1947, the estate was sold to the Holy See to serve as the Apostolic Nunciature, the official Vatican embassy in Argentina. It was here, within these palatial halls, that Pope John Paul the Second resided during his two historic pastoral visits to Argentina in 1982—during the Falklands War—and again in 1987. From the second-floor balcony, the Polish Pope addressed hundreds of thousands of faithful citizens who packed Avenida Alvear below.
The aristocratic grandeur of Le Monnier's facade, coupled with its profound role as a Vatican diplomatic sanctuary, makes this palace an architectural crown jewel of Buenos Aires. Admiring its intricate stone garlands and copper cupola evokes the supreme refinement that graced Avenida Alvear during the Belle Époque.
Walk south along Avenida Alvear to enter Plazoleta Carlos Pellegrini.